New Year's Resolutions
by laced-scrawl
Summary: Draco calls off his engagement because of his feelings for a newly divorced Hermione Granger. Proud of himself, he turns up at her house on New Year's Eve, a free man intent on making her his again. But life isn't supposed to be so easy... Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**New Year's Resolutions**

**A/N: ****Hey! This was an idea I had for a one-shot that I've now made into a very short story. I thought you'd like it as it's festive and is filled with lots of Dramione goodness! **** I have everything written out and ready so this will be finished before New Year's Eve – the quickest story I'll probably ever write! I hope you like it! The first two chapters are a little bit darker than the rest, simply to set the story up – they will get lighter and more festive! Please review and let me know what you think! xxx**

**Summary: ****Draco calls off his engagement to Astoria Greengrass because of his feelings for a newly divorced Hermione Granger. Proud of himself, he turns up at her house on New Year's Eve, a free man intent on making her his again. But life was never supposed to be this easy... Please R&R! **

**Chapter One:**** Matters of the Heart**

It was a known fact that Draco Malfoy never did things by halves. It simply wasn't his style. If there was something to be done, he saw no sense in doing it without the full attention and drive it commanded. And breaking off his engagement to Astoria Greengrass was certainly no exception.

Their marriage had been fixed between their fathers, one cold night in a secluded pub, over a few fire-whiskeys. Incredibly... _romantic _- completely worthy of any penned novel by Jane Austen, or feel-good film featuring Hugh Grant. Their union was vital in order for both families to make an absolute fortune, gain more important contacts in different fields and expand their empires further. Money, honour and respect were what mattered, not silly things like love and happiness. When did they ever get anybody anywhere?

Everything was full-steam ahead for seven months. Plans were made, rings were exchanged, and contracts were written up. It seemed that everything was falling into place, and nothing could go wrong...

Until the prospective groom had an epiphany one morning in the shower.

Yes. It was amongst fragrant shower gel and an infinite amount of thick steam that Draco Malfoy came to the realisation that he was in love with his ex girlfriend, and that his feelings could no longer be ignored. He knew that she'd recently split up with her husband and, whilst she might not be entirely ready to jump into his arms straight away; the fact that she was available presented him with a chance. An opportunity that he was completely intent on taking full advantage of, because in his mind, if he still loved her after all of this time, there was hope that part of her felt the same way. He couldn't marry Astoria Greengrass when his heart belonged to someone else: he _wouldn't_ allow himself to.

He'd not written a speech or mentally rehearsed his actions prior to his announcement; there was no point. Nothing he said would be able to make it all ok, and he knew that his parents wouldn't respect him for attempting to sugar-coat it. All he'd done was send an owl to all that it concerned, asking them to come to the Manor the next day as he had made an 'important decision that they'd all be affected by'.

That was putting it mildly.

He entered the main living room of Malfoy Manor and saw his parents, Astoria's parents and Astoria herself all seated in the plush chairs sipping their tea delicately. They all turned to look at him, impatient expectation twinkling in their eyes. He saw Astoria smile politely at him, and he held back a grimace. This was going to be interesting…

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he started in a formal tone, almost as if he were initiating a meeting of extreme importance. He thought he'd stick to the business tone, seeing as feelings had never been considered throughout the whole arrangement of their marriage. "I do hope I haven't inconvenienced anyone?"

Mr Greengrass shook his head whilst Lucius rolled his eyes impatiently, causing Draco to smirk. Leave it to his father to be silently blunt. He strolled into the room, every inch the arrogant aristocrat he was known for being, and stood by the fireplace, his face the mask of serenity.

"I've called you all here today so that I can say what I need to once. This may come as quite a shock, so I suggest you all remain sitting down, just in case."

Narcissa, placing her cup down gently onto its china saucer, quirked a thinly shaped eyebrow at her son's words, but said nothing in response. She could feel her husband's impatience radiating from him, and thought it best not to add to it by saying anything. She was intrigued, however, at her son's behaviour. His appearance and demeanour gave nothing away, but she could see from the stricken expression in his eyes that this was something serious, something of extreme importance to him that would clearly prove problematic for the rest of them.

"I can't marry Astoria."

The silence was deafening.

No one spoke for what seemed like hours. Draco's eyes flickered from each person in front of him and he noted, with amusement, that no one seemed to have moved a muscle. He could feel his father's eyes fixed on him, heavy with a mixture of disappointment and rage, and put all of his strength into evading them.

"Draco," his mother said in a voice that was just above a whisper. "What in Merlin's name are you talking about?"

"I can't marry Astoria, mother. I'm sorry. But I've made my decision."

"Why the hell not?" exclaimed Mr Greengrass, standing up abruptly, his cup and saucer crashing onto the marble floor. "What seems to have changed? Do you think she's not good enough for you?"

Draco's eyes flickered from the broken china to his mother's horrified face, and bit back a smirk. The best china was his mother's pride and joy, and consequently she began to glare at the older man with contempt, her son's news momentarily forgotten. Mr Greengrass took a step towards him and Draco forced his attention back to the matter at hand.

"She can't be – only one girl is. And that's why I can't marry her. Because I'm in love with someone else."

"_Who_?" Astoria asked, speaking for the first time in a sharp tone. Her face was passive and her eyes were reserved; she was clearly putting on the classic upper-class society face that covered any sort of emotion. But he could see that her hand had tightened around her tea cup, so much so that her knuckles had gone white. It was evidence for the humiliation and anger she was feeling at being rejected, at being told that she wasn't good enough. And unsurprisingly, he didn't feel any sort of remorse.

"It doesn't matter. She'll never be accepted by anyone here. And I thought that it mattered, but I've realised that it doesn't. For what it's worth, I'm sorry," he said quietly, his eyes piercing hers with a sincere look.

And a small part of him did mean it. The part that was usually insignificant to him because it made him weaker. He knew it wasn't Astoria's fault that she wasn't a bushy-haired muggleborn with an encyclopaedia for a brain and a face more beautiful than any other on the planet. She was never in love with him, and never claimed to be either. She recognised that she, like him, was a mere pawn in her father's business game. But she also represented a lot of things about society that he'd always hated; the falseness and pretence, the bitchy smiles devoid of all emotion, and the disregard for anything that had the potential of a bad reputation, even if it involved sacrificing happiness.

"_Sorry_? You think that a simple sorry makes it all ok? We had a deal!" exclaimed Mr Greengrass furiously.

"It's the best I can do," Draco replied, un-phased by the older man's evident anger. He was more concerned with his own father's eerie silence.

After a few moments of Astoria's father hurling insults and Draco responding with replies dripping in arrogance, Lucius Malfoy rose. He locked his gaze with his sons, and suddenly, it was as though there was no one else there. Draco saw no emotion in his father's eyes, but he knew he was furious. There was probably some sort of tornado going on in his mind, and it was taking all of his self-control to not explode. He was probably contemplating which of the 'Unforgivables' he'd prefer to use on his only child – it wouldn't be the first time. _Imperio_? _Avada_? No, _Crucio _was much more Lucius' style.

"Draco," he said in a low tone. "Do you understand that your selfish actions will cost our family the most important business deal in Malfoy history? That your total disregard for anyone's feelings but your own could jeaopordise the future of our empire? That you are bringing shame upon our entire dynasty?"

There was a pause in which Draco could almost hear his mother's silent prayer to anyone that would listen, begging her son to have a change of heart. Draco swallowed thickly and kept his head held high. It was now or never. He'd opened this can of worms, and he was going to see it through to the end.

"Yes."

It wouldn't be until 3 hours later that Draco awoke on the floor of the living room, alone and bleeding heavily.


	2. Chapter 2

**New Year's Resolutions**

**A/N:**** Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! I'm glad you liked it! **** Here's chapter two – please review! **

**Chapter 2:**** End of an Era**

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Hermione?"

"It's been two weeks Gin! It's about time I moved on properly!"

Ginny shot her friend a look laden heavily with concern, and watched helplessly as the determined brunette stood in front of her large fireplace, a heavy photo album clutched tightly in her hands.

"Yes, but is this really the best way? I know you want to move on but…"

The end of Ginny's sentence was drowned in the happy crackling of the flames as the album went flying into their hungry lair. She watched with wide eyes as the plastic covers melted and the pages curled amongst the fiery embers. A marriage up in flames. _Literally_.

"And good riddance!" Hermione exclaimed, ignorant to her friend's shock, as the last of her wedding albums was destroyed in front of her eyes. She'd kept them for so long, _too _long, clinging to the tiny remnants of the ridiculous illusion that was her marriage. She saw no sense in keeping them now that she was finally free from her life of misery; what was the point in possessing triggers to unwanted memories?

"I guess you feel better then?"

Hermione cracked a smile at Ginny and nodded.

"You have no idea!"

Ginny frowned and Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes. She loved Ginny dearly, but sometimes it was like talking to a brick wall.

"Gin, really, I'm fine! I haven't felt this free in a long time and believe me when I say that I'm enjoying it!"

Ginny sighed and turned so that her back was to the roaring fire.

"I know, it's just a bit much to take in. I remember your wedding day – you looked so _happy_! Both of you did! I guess I just always thought you two would stay together."

Hermione sighed and realised just how much of a pretence her life had become. She'd never liked drama when she'd been in school, yet her acting these past couple of years could have won her an Oscar. She should have been proud, really; she'd lied to her friends and family continuously, and managed to fool them all. Happy? Her wedding day was the saddest day of her life. She'd not been able to stop crying, and Viktor had had to pay a hell of a lot of money to airbrush her red eyes and blotchy cheeks.

"Yes, well, that's life. Things change."

Ginny nodded, finally picking up on the fact that the subject wasn't one Hermione wanted to discuss.

"So, what are you doing tonight for New Years?" Ginny asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Nothing."

Ginny's eyes widened.

"You can't do nothing! It's New Year's Eve!"

"Exactly!" Ginny

But she couldn't expect Ginny to understand. She had the perfect marriage with the infamous Harry Potter, and whilst she didn't resent her for it, she knew that it made her someone she couldn't confide in. To Ginny, marriage was what life was all about, and if things got difficult, you worked through it, fought it out, and then went back to normal. It was what she'd seen from her parents and was what she considered the norm.

How could she tell her that it wasn't like that for her. Marriage wasn't something sacred she'd willingly gone into so that she could spend forever united to the man she loved. It had been the complete opposite, and she had no strength or tolerance left to keep returning to the normalcy that had become her life. It was too tedious, too dull, to un-like her.

But she couldn't tell anyone about that. No one would understand, and she didn't fancy being reprimanded for her own idiocy.

"Look, you go and have a nice time with everyone. I'll be fine, I promise."

Ginny nodded reluctantly and after enveloping Hermione in a tight hug that was more for her own benefit than Hermione's, apparated home.

Hermione sighed heavily and collapsed down onto her couch, sinking slowly into the cool leather. It had been a depressing Christmas at home with her parents. She'd turned down the offer to go to the Weasley's, thinking that spending time with family was more important to her, considering as she no longer had a husband and was feeling 'extremely vulnerable'. Well, that was the general opinion that everyone seemed to share between them; she'd simply chosen to use it to her own advantage. How wrong had she been? Her parents had fussed over her to the point of suffocation, and it had taken unbelievable restraint and God only knew how much alcohol to get her through it. She loved her parents and missed them tremendously, but the last thing she needed was to be coddled and reminded constantly of her misfortune.

She ran a hand through her hair and closed her eyes. Where had it all gone so wrong? She was supposed to be the brightest witch of her age, and yet she'd blindly stumbled into a relationship that was clearly not right for her. She'd ignored the warnings from people, blocked out the alarm-bells in her head and happily consented to being the girlfriend to Viktor Krum.

She'd assumed she was in love with him. She had to be – why else would she put up with the media attention, the difficulty of a long-distance relationship and the constant comments from his jealous female fan-base? That small voice inside her head had tried to reason with her; she'd been in love before. She'd experienced the fuzzy feeling inside and the fluttering of her heart at the sound of _his_ voice. It wasn't like that with Viktor.

_No, but it was __**real **__with Viktor__**.**_

That was the lie she told herself continuously for six years, and truth be told, she never really believed it once.

One Valentine's Day he'd asked her to marry him. She was twenty years old, studying to be a healer, short of cash and missing a platinum-blond, arrogant wizard like crazy; of course she'd said yes. She'd known it was a mistake from the moment she'd accepted; it was wrong on so many levels, especially as she didn't even like Viktor as a friend anymore. He didn't listen to her or understand her, and there really was no reason for her to want to be in a relationship with him.

But she knew she'd never be able to do any better, no matter who she was with. It was like she had a craving for a specific type of food that she knew she'd never be able to taste again, and nothing could ever compare to it, no matter how close the resemblance.

She'd already spun a web of lies, and just seemed to be adding to it. The forced smiles and deception got easier as time went on. Viktor was away training and playing most of the time, and when he was home, he was out. It made it easier for them to fake domestic bliss. She was able to work, and do whatever she wanted, and the same went for him. Yes, she'd compromised, but she'd gotten what she wanted out of it. She was content.

But then she had to wake up one morning and decide that content simply good enough. She wanted to be _happy. _

It was a tall order, and something that couldn't be guaranteed, considering as there was only one person that could make her happy, and she couldn't have him. But she was determined to at least try. It was convenient that it was almost January: new year, new start. She owled her solicitor and set up a meeting, and then owled Viktor. He'd consented to giving her whatever she wanted – eager to be an official bachelor again, and with his name, money and insistence, their divorce was done and dusted a week before Christmas.

She opened her eyes and smiled. Whilst it wasn't the way she'd envisioned her life to turn out, she was genuinely on her way to being happy with life. The clock on her mantelpiece chimed, telling her that it was six o'clock in the evening.

"Time to start the festivities!" she said to herself, fully intent on breaking open a bottle of her favourite red wine.

But before she could grab the bottle from the cooler in the kitchen and pop it open, there was a knock at her door…


	3. Chapter 3

**New Year's Resolutions**

**A/N: ****Thank you to everyone who favourited/alerted/reviewed the last chapter! Hope you like this one – it's less morbid and has Dramione interaction! Please R&R! xxx**

**Chapter 3: ****An Over-due Reunion **

It took him twenty minutes to knock on her door. Twenty long, painful minutes in which he found himself plagued with doubt and second thoughts. What if she didn't want to see him or hear him out? Would she be broken hearted after her divorce and therefore feel nothing but indifference towards him? Had she forgiven him for leaving her six years ago? Did she understand why he'd had to do it? Was she even at home?

He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, grimacing as it made contact with the matted blood from a wound on his head that he kept forgetting about. He assumed that he'd hit his head on the fireplace as he'd fallen from a mixture of exhaustion and pain from his father's endless torture, though he wasn't about to rule out the possibility of it having been inflicted by his hand. Things were so incredibly _twisted. _His life wasn't supposed to turn out this way. He'd never planned it to be all sweetness and light – that was far too unrealistic and _happy_ for his taste. But he had expected it to be a lot easier than this.

He raised his hand and knocked before he could change his mind again. He hadn't gone through the pain of apparition to simply stand outside her door. Where was his cocky stance and pretentious humour? It had never deserted him before? He sniggered at the thought of his father beating it out of him, and then smirked at the realisation that he still had it. There was no point being morbid about everything – he was here on a mission to win back Hermione Granger's heart, preferably before midnight, and that was what he was going to do.

Or at least that's what he thought. Before she opened the door.

She stood facing him, eyes wide and jaw hanging open, her brain trying to process everything as quickly as possible. She looked confused, shocked, a little disorientated, but most of all; beautiful, just as she always had, and it threw him off guard completely.

Hermione's brow creased in complete, unfathomable confusion as she took in the sight of Draco Malfoy, battered, bruised, bleeding, and still as handsome as he'd always been. She couldn't quite process the fact that she'd just been thinking about him, and here he was! On her doorstep. Wait, _battered, bruised _and _bleeding_?

"What in Merlin's name happened to you?" she whispered in horror as her eyes swept over his injured form, slowly taking in his swollen jaw, torn shirt and numerous gashes, not to mention his head injury that seemed to stand out the most, on account of the scarlet clashing loudly against the luminous blond of his hair.

He was surprised to see so much concern amongst shock in her eyes; it gave him silent confirmation that she still cared for him, and that meant more to him than he'd imagined. Yes, this was Hermione Granger, the girl with the biggest heart he'd ever known, but he was her ex boyfriend. He'd hurt her in the past and it meant a lot that she still cared about him, even if it may be to an extent.

"I took a stand."

Her eyes widened even more and he knew she was reliving their last conversation six years ago. The conversation that had quickly escalated into an argument, and had resulted in him leaving her to follow in his father's footsteps and take over the running of the family business.

He looked at her face and was happy that it hadn't changed much, except for a slightly mature tint that highlighted her cheekbones, and remembered the way it had been a mask of desperation as he'd tried to walk away. Her hands had clutched his robes in a tight grip that demonstrated her physical desire to not let him go. The echoes of their young voices washed over him, and from the distant look in her eyes, he knew she could hear them too…

"_DON'T DO THIS DRACO!" she screamed pleadingly, a part of her convinced that the louder she said it, the more likely he was to hear her desperation and concede it. _

_But the hard armour coating his eyes made her realise just how small that part of her was, because that one look at his face had been enough for her to see just how strongly he would fight her on this. She watched as he fixed her with a cool stare and shivered at the harsh contrast to the gentle looks of love he'd sent her before. _

"_WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO?" he exclaimed, fury at her persistence engulfing him completely. Why couldn't she just let him go? He should never have pursued her, never have complicated their lives. But he'd been selfish and weak, and now they both had to pay the price. "HE'S MY FATHER!" _

_His words carried so many meanings with them – meanings that neither of them needed to voice. Lucius Malfoy was his __**father**__, but he was also a past deatheater. A man who always got what he wanted. A man skilled in the areas of dark magic, and who certainly wasn't afraid to show off his talents. Draco thought it would be enough to make her realise why what he was doing was best for them, best for her. He'd underestimated the fire that burned within her; the fire that he'd started by lighting a match and tossing it carelessly over the gas that had leaked from the vulnerability she'd shown him. She'd let him into her heart and allowed him to do whatever he'd pleased with it, regardless of the warnings her conscious had provided her with, and she would not be proven wrong._

"_TAKE A STAND AGAINST HIM! AGAINST WHAT HE STANDS FOR! IT'S NOT YOU, DRACO! IT NEVER HAS BEEN AND YOU KNOW IT NEVER WILL BE!" _

_Instead of replying, he'd untangled himself from her grip, fixed her with a last look that he'd hoped had conveyed all of his feelings of regret, and walked away. Just like that, without a second glance. _

He'd been too weak to do it then; take a stand against his father, both physically and emotionally. He'd spent so long regretting it, but now, in that very moment, he finally felt that he'd made the right decision. He'd needed that time to gain the strength to walk away from all that he'd ever known. And he'd walked to her door. Where else would he have gone?

Her eyes softened as she realised just how difficult this must have been for him: going against his father was one thing, but to knock on her door after everything was a huge step. She knew because it would have been the same for her. She still didn't understand what could have possibly made Lucius hurt him so badly, but what confused her more was his decision to come to her. It made no sense to her, and she hated it when she couldn't understand something.

"As nice as this is, do you think you could invite me in? It's freezing out here!"

His voice brought her back to the present and she jumped into action.

"Oh, of course! Sorry, come in!" she babbled, standing aside to give him room. She cursed herself inwardly as he slid past her and she felt the flimsy material of his torn shirt. She wouldn't be surprised if his skin was blue from the cold, amongst other things.

She led him into the living room and he carefully lowered himself onto the couch where she'd sat moments ago. She stood looking at him with a concerned expression, a million questions floating around her mind. She still couldn't quite believe he was here, in her living room, on her couch. She'd envisioned seeing him again so many times, but never like this. He looked weak, even though he was trying so hard not to. _Some things never change _she thought dryly.

"Draco, what have you done?" she asked in a small voice, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

He looked at her with a lopsided grin and stretched himself into a more comfortable position so that he could look directly at her.

"Well," he said in a light tone, as though he were telling the story of Cinderella to a child. "I broke off my engagement to Astoria Greengrass, thus jeopardising an important business deal and shaming the Malfoy name, earning myself a one-way ticket to being disowned. Oh, and I told them that I was in love with someone else."

Hermione's eyes widened and he smirked.

"Who?"

"You know who."

There was an odd silence that hung in the air; it wasn't awkward, but neither of them knew how to get passed it. Draco watched as she looked away from him, everything getting too much for her to take so suddenly. He hadn't meant to perplex her so much, but he knew it was necessary before he did anything else. She needed to know the ins and outs, but he was never one to purge details. He knew she wouldn't appreciate simply being told information – she was smarter than that and he knew it.

"Did you call off your engagement for me?" she asked, her eyes returning to his. It was a stupid question; the sincerity in his eyes and knowing feeling in her gut had already confirmed the answer.

"Yes."

She nodded and slowly went to sit down next to him. He offered her a smile, thinking that maybe things would start to get a little easier from now on, but she disregarded it. She scanned her eyes over his body, making him smirk knowingly, before finding an unharmed part of his arm and poking it hard.

"OW!" he yelled in a mixture of pain and surprise.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" she exclaimed angrily.

"Me? You're the one who poked me!" he choked out.

"Yes, because you are an absolute idiot! How could you do that?" she asked, her eyes steely with fury.

"I was _trying _to do the right thing!" he said, a little irritated with her lack of gratitude. "Any other girl would find it romantic!"

"Yes, but I'm not any other girl, am I?" she retorted before getting up and pacing. "Did you think I'd just run back into your arms and we'd live happily ever after?"

"I don't think you'd be able to run into my arms given the state my body's in at the moment," he said sarcastically, eliciting a glare from the brunette witch. "And no, I didn't think that, though I did think you'd be a little happier to see me!"

Hermione sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I _am_ happy to see you. I'm just…surprised, that's all."

Draco grinned triumphantly and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't get too cocky! I can throw you out at any moment I like!"

"You wouldn't throw a helpless, injured man out onto the streets would you?" he taunted, knowing that the majority of the tension had been lifted, for the moment anyway.

"I might have no choice if the man in question aggravated me to the point of pure irritation!"

She turned to leave and he sat up quickly, before wincing in pain. She looked at him in concern.

"Draco?"

"Where…are you…going?" he wheezed out.

"If you're going to be staying a while I don't want you bleeding all over my couch!" she said with a small smile before leaving. Draco smirked and realised that all the pain was worth it if it meant she'd give him another chance. And by the looks of things, he was on his way there…


	4. Chapter 4

**New Year's Resolutions**

**A/N:**** Hey! I'm sorry this is so late – New Years turned out to be busier than what I'd initially expected! Here's the final chapter – thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favourited and alerted – each one has made me smile! I hope you like it – please let me know what you think and Happy New Year! **** xxx**

**Chapter 4:**** Looking to the Future**

It had been an eventful evening to say the least. Hermione felt as though she was floating in some sort of bubble that she knew would pop at any moment. It _had_ to. She'd gotten used to the feeling of disappointment; of being brought back down to earth with a sharp thud as soon as things started to go right for her. Seeing Draco again was something that she'd been dreaming of for so long, and whilst him being injured wasn't part of her initial vision, it still gave her an amazing feeling.

She smiled to herself as he stretched out on the couch, a little less pale and a lot more arrogant. She'd tended to his wounds, first with magic, and then the good old-muggle way, with a bowl of diluted disinfectant, and a soft wash-cloth, and she could honestly say that she never wanted to repeat the experience again. He had whimpered, whined, complained, sworn and bellowed at the top of his voice, and it had taken all of her self-control to not bash him over the head with something. It had taken her a while, but she'd finally gotten him to settle down, and she was enjoying the peace whilst it lasted.

"Does anyone know where you are?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. He looked over to where she was sitting by the fireplace and gave her a lazy smirk.

"Yes, my father asked me where I was going to go after he beat the crap out of me and was delighted to hear that I was coming over to see _you,_ my muggleborn ex girl-friend."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"A simple no would have sufficed."

Draco grinned.

"Yes but a simple no would have been far too boring!"

Instead of responding, Hermione contented herself with fiddling with the loose threads on the rug she was sitting on. There were so many things she wanted to ask him, and so many things she wanted answered, but she didn't know how to approach them. She knew Draco could be difficult at the best of times, and the last thing she wanted was to push him too far and lose him again. Not that she officially had him right now…

"Have you made your New Year's Resolutions yet?"

She blinked, her brain taking an extra second to switch back to the present.

"Nope. To be honest, I forgot all about them this year." It wasn't a lie; she'd been so busy throwing herself into work and moving on from her disastrous marriage that she hadn't thought about making resolutions. She'd barely been able to comprehend the fact that the year was changing, let alone make resolutions. In all honesty, she wasn't in the mood to make promises for the new year when she firmly believed that promises where only comforts to fools. It took her so long to allow herself to be happy again, that she wasn't sure she was capable of keeping any other promises she made to herself to be fulfilled within the year.

"Well, there's still an hour left until midnight. That's plenty of time!"

Hermione sighed, realising that he clearly wasn't going to let this go, and that she had no choice but to concede.

"Fine, but you have to make some too," she stated firmly as she sought out parchment and quills.

He nodded, a genuine smile on his face as he watched her. He was relishing the feeling of doing something so normal with her. To any outsider, they'd probably seem like a normal couple, with no traces of their troubled pasts. He liked it, and he knew it was something he could get used to.

A few minutes passed in which Hermione chewed thoughtfully on her quill and Draco tried to think about the task at hand instead of simply watching her. She sighed heavily and looked at him with an irritated expression.

"I can't think of anything!"

"There must be something!" he exclaimed, trying hard not to laugh at her frustration. "What do you want?"

"I don't know!" she exclaimed before quirking an eyebrow at him. "What have you got?"

Draco glanced at his blank piece of parchment and decided that now would be a good time to improvise. It annoyed him to see slight hesitation in her eyes whenever she looked at him, as though she wasn't completely sure if she should trust him, and he knew it was his own fault. But he also knew that he'd need to gain her trust back if he was going to stand any chance with her. Maybe this would be a good place to start?

"Well, it's completely clichéd and utterly unlike me, but to be happy."

She blinked before staring directly into his almost translucent eyes, trying to find any hint of deception. But they were flawless in their honesty. She found herself offering him a smile.

"Yeah, I think we both deserve that."

He leaned forward, his eyes still locked with hers.

"I thought you were. You always seemed it."

She continued to stare straight back at him, losing all control of her mouth as his eyes penetrated deeper into hers.

"_You_ of all people should know the difference between a fake smile and a genuine smile," she said dryly, the power suddenly switching. He broke her gaze and she sat up straighter.

"Your smile always seemed genuine…" he said in a small voice. They both knew he was lying; _he_ knew her better than anyone, and always knew when she was putting up a front.

"Why didn't you come after me once the war was over?" she asked, suddenly filled with the over-whelming desire to know the reason why. She'd always wanted to know the reason why, but the fear of him not loving her had always stopped her from finding out. But it was now or never, and by the way he'd looked away, she could tell that the story held more to it.

"I thought you wouldn't want to know me. I did a lot of things during the war that still give me nightmares…I didn't know how you'd react."

"So, you didn't even try?"

He looked up at her tone and saw the pain she'd felt as an eighteen year old girl etched onto her face. She didn't believe that he'd just give up on her like that, and now that he'd heard himself say it out loud, he could clearly see why she'd be suspicious. Draco Malfoy fought for what he wanted. He wouldn't have taken no for an answer. _Unless_ what he'd previously wanted changed.

"I never stopped loving you," he said firmly, his eyes begging her to believe him. "Never. It was just easier to believe that I was doing what you wanted me to do as opposed to facing proper rejection."

Hermione swallowed thickly and nodded. She could understand that better than anyone, and the sincerity in his eyes erased any doubt of dishonesty. An awkward silence set in as his words sunk in; '_I never stopped loving you._' Did that mean he still loved her now?

She got up quickly and realised that she still hadn't opened her bottle of wine. She went to the kitchen and retrieved the vintage bottle and two glasses, taking her time to gather the items so as to avoid the awkwardness in the living room, and eventually returned.

Draco said nothing as she left and re-entered the room. He'd kicked himself mentally for slipping the words out like that – that was certainly not how he'd planned on telling her. But the fact that she'd brought him a glass had to mean something, right?

She filled their glasses, handed him his, and resumed her seat on the floor by the warm fire. They drank in silence for a bit, and Draco racked his brains to think of something neutral to talk about.

"To take chances."

His head snapped up at her words and she raised her eyes to look at him. He frowned thoughtfully.

"Are you sure? You're more of a planner rather than a risk-taker!"

Hermione glared at him.

"Well that's why I should try it out next year!" she exclaimed. "And I think it applies to you too!"

Draco shook his head vigorously.

"Me? Please, I just called off my own engagement and got disowned! I don't think I should take any more chances with my life!"

Hermione eyed him over the rim of her wine glass.

"Why? Are you scared you might get hurt?"

Draco chose to ignore the seriousness laced within her chocolate orbs.

"I think we've established that I'm able to take a bit of pain," he said with a cocky grin, gesturing to his barely-there wounds.

"That wasn't what I meant."

"I know."

There was another silence, this one less awkward than the one before, but more thoughtful. Hermione didn't know what she wanted out of him. Did she want an admission of love? Did she want an apology? Did she want him to walk away? Nothing made sense any more. She knew that she didn't want to lose him again, but were they really cut out to try again?

"To forgive."

"What?"

Draco eased himself off the couch and onto the floor next to her, wincing in pain as he tried to get himself into a semi-comfortable position. Hermione bit her tongue to stop herself from scolding him, intreigued by his actions.

"To forgive," he repeated once he'd gotten himself settled. Hermione found that, although he wasn't incredibly close to her, she could still smell him; cologne mingled with anti-sceptic cream and something that was just so typically Draco. It was making her a little light-headed, and she leaned back a little.

"Who do you need to forgive?" she asked curiously. He flashed her a sad smile and took a sip of his wine.

"Myself, for not listening to you. If I had, things would have been completely different."

Hermione's eyes widened and she tilted her head to the side.

"Why do you blame yourself? It wasn't all down to you…"

"Hermione, if I hadn't have left to be a proper deatheater, we would have been together! You wouldn't have married Viktor and…"

"My marriage to Viktor was not your fault!" Hermione exclaimed, her indignation shocking them both. "I chose to accept his proposal, even though I knew I didn't love him. It was my own stupidity. My own weakness. You aren't to blame for it."

Draco shook his head, not wanting to make her guilty of anything; he'd hurt her enough. Hermione saw the guilt in his eyes and it made her throw caution to the wind; it angered her to see him so beaten up over something that she had inflicted upon herself.

"I forgive you."

Those three words tugged at his heart strings and made him look up at her with a mixture of surprise and hope. He'd been convinced that she never would forgive him – he'd cut her too deeply. But as usual, the witch had surprised him with her own ability to forgive.

"But I won't forgive you for not forgiving yourself, so I suggest you start working on that!"

He laughed and she congratulated herself on lightening the mood. They both relaxed and she topped up their glasses, marvelling at how they both seemed able to switch from serious to light-hearted in a matter of seconds. It was something that they could only do with each other – no one else would understand. Neither of them liked to dwell on the darkness, nor did they like to stick to the light.

"I think," he said with a smirk on his face, "that we should resolve to stay away from marriage next year!"

Hermione nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

"Yes! That's the perfect resolution! No weddings, no engagements, no rings, no pre-nups, no ever-binding seals of love!"

He laughed at her enthusiasm and she grinned back.

"No proposals?" he asked, his eyes a mixture of mirth and something she didn't recognise.

"Absolutely not!" she replied, though the look on his face caused her to hastily add, "Unless they have no link to marriage whatsoever!"

He smirked, almost as if he knew why she added it, and suddenly turned serious.

"And what about us?"

Hermione's eyes widened and she took a gulp of her wine. So the time had come to have _that_ conversation.

"What about us?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What resolution do you think we can make that's specific to me and you?"

She thought for a moment, trying hard to think of a suitable answer that didn't make any promises, but also didn't give the wrong impression. She did want him in her life – forever if she could have him for that long. But she didn't want to commit to anything so soon after her divorce. She finally felt like she could breathe again and she wanted to enjoy normality a little longer before she dove head first into something with Draco.

"How about we make it our New Year's Resolution to be friends."

"What?" Whatever Draco had been expecting, that certainly wasn't it. "Friends? You want us to be friends?"

Hermione cringed at the hurt in his voice, and it took all of her strength to stick to her resolve.

"Draco, it's not that I don't love you, because it's pretty obvious that I do. You know I do; I always have and I think I always will…"

He smirked at her words, momentarily forgetting that there was a 'but' coming. The fact that she'd admitted her feelings was monumental for him, and he wanted to revel in it for as long as he could. He knew the feeling he was experiencing now would never leave his memory, and he was grateful for it.

"But, I honestly can't remember who _I _am anymore. I was Hermione Krum for so long that I've forgotten how to be Hermione _Granger. _I know you want more than friendship, but at the moment it's all I have to offer."

Draco looked into her eyes and understood her words and feelings more clearly. She needed time and he needed to give it to her. She loved _him_, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon, considering that it hadn't in over five years.

"I know, and I'll take whatever you choose to give me. It's just going to take a lot of self-control for me to be just friends with you when I know we both want more."

Hermione nodded and took his hand in hers.

"I know. But you know that you were a massive part of my life before the war. Even after. I loved the person you made me – carefree, confident, happy, and I want to be those things again. You're the only person who can help that happen…"

Draco grinned and scooted closer to her so that their faces were literally inches apart. He gently touched her cheek and leaned in a little closer so that their noses bumped against each other.

"Well, if you insist on my assistance in the matter…"

As he leaned in to kiss her, Hermione smiled and leaned back. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and she placed a finger on his lips.

"Save that kiss for midnight Malfoy, we still have resolutions to write!"

He smirked and leaned back, knowing that the new year would be the best yet. He'd gotten her forgiveness, won her back and gotten a promise for the future. All in all, it was shaping up to be the best New Years yet!


End file.
